Found
by JediMayukiDaAWESOME
Summary: Whilst trying to find Raava after leaving the South Pole, Korra is tending to her wounds from her latest failed battle in an underground earthbending arena. She wasn't expecting a certain CEO finding her after she learnt of her disappearance. Korrasami. Inspired by joehnna's Korrasami – Found comic on DeviantArt, and created with their permission, check out their stuff! Pleeeease!
1. Chapter 1

**Found**

 **Summary: Whilst trying to find Raava after leaving the South Pole, Korra is tending to her wounds from her latest failed battle in an underground earthbending arena. She wasn't expecting a certain CEO finding her after she learnt of her disappearance. Korrasami. Inspired by joehnna's Korrasami – Found comic on DeviantArt, and created with their permission, check out their stuff! Pleeeease!**

Dingy, dank and dark, Korra's current temporary place of residence was not particularly inviting. Then again, the only guests that visited her was her nagging landowner, and the unwelcome guest that haunts her dreams and stalks her steps: her past self.

As of now, the young and tortured Avatar was tending to her daily wounds, injuries sustained from illegal, underground earthbending fights. She lost more fights than she won, including today's particular loss, and the aggressiveness of her opponent left her more injured than ever before. One blackened eye, her skin peppered with bruises, a heavily bleeding cut on her arm and what was sure to be multiple cracked or broken ribs, she had a hard time convincing the landowner that she was in no worse shape than usual, managing to walk to her room straight backed, but her whole body as rigid as a steel pole.

An open medical kit on her bed, she tended to her injuries the old fashioned way. She was believed to be an earthbender, and therefore couldn't risk being seen waterbending, and revealing herself as the Avatar. That, and the pain was a familiar friend to her, the coursing agony reminding her that she isn't a wandering, lifeless shell just yet, tethering herself to the physical world through the arduous torment.

Long ago has she forgotten the feelings of love and comfort, safety and security, encompassed in the embrace of her parents, or her friends. If it weren't for the constant feeling of pain, she would've remained as numb as the frozen winters of the South Pole, trapped in its relentless, unforgiving, icy grasp.

Korra cleansed her wounds with water and disinfectant, mending the small cuts and skinned areas with band-aids and medical patches. However, the large cut on her bicep was causing her quite a bit of trouble.

 _"Ugh, this wound won't stop bleeding,"_ Korra thought to herself, clamping a bloodied rag to the afflicted area in a pointless attempt to stem the bleeding. She remained silent in the quiet of the room, hearing the landowner talking very loudly, potentially over a minor problem. However, he would not stop yelling, steadily approaching her room.

 _"The landowner is louder than usual … Geez ..."_ Korra thought, thinking of anything that she may have done wrong, _"I'm pretty sure that I paid rent this week ..."_

The landowner got closer and closer, the words just starting to become legible through the walls.

"-ato you can't just barge in!" he yelled, "Lady Sato!"

Korra's eyes widened as her blood froze in pure, unadulterated panic, tremors overtaking her body with her intense terror. _"Asami?!"_ she screamed internally. She jumped up as Asami Sato entered the room, stiff with her back to the young CEO.

There was a brief pause before Asami's rich tone addressed the landowner, sending shivers down Korra's body, "Thank you for showing me the way, Mr. Hatsu. Lock the door on your way out please."

"A-As you wish, M'Lady ..." he stammered, giving up on restraining her from entering his client's room.

"Thank you," she replied coolly as he followed through with her wishes, the door locking with an audible _'click'._

Silence reigned within the room, Korra unmoving yet defeated in her posture, the only indicator from the back being her slightly bowed head. Asami stared at the back of her old friend and partner-in-crime, before she found her bright, tea green eyes wandering from her companion to the bed, where the medical kit lay. She turned her head to face the equipment more, taking in the blood-soaked rag and sheets, disinfectant, patches and gauze spilling out onto the spoiled bed.

The expressionless green gaze flickered to the injured woman before her, seeing her beaten face and broken expression in the reflection of the windowpane. Her eyebrows furrowed, her lips curling and pursing into and angered scowl, swallowing harshly. She breathed in once from her nose and demanded coldly "Talk."

Korra remained silent, her expression cast down towards the floor, fear controlling her mind, self-hatred and disgust holding her tongue. She couldn't even open her mouth in fear of losing all of her control, either over her words, or of the tears that yearn to escape her eyes. Her breath became even more laboured just due to fear, on top of the damage to her ribs.

She couldn't speak.

She couldn't breathe.

"You, ran, away," Asami forced out, fury lacing her tone whilst reigning back the explosive lecture that struggled to get loose from her lips, "you _lied_ to your parents. You've been _missing_ , without us knowing it, for _six, months_. _Why?!_ "

No answer.

"TALK!" she yelled, fists clenching at her side.

Korra shakily opened her mouth, indistinguishable words silently passing her lips, unknowing of what to say. She then forced her voice to withhold her emotions from colouring her words as she said quietly "I have my own issues to sort through. I thought they were gone when I was healed, but I was wrong. I didn't realise this until I left for the city. This is why I turned as I approach the docks of Air Temple Island. I told my parents otherwise so they wouldn't worry. That is all."

"That is _all?!_ " Asami breathed incredulously, "Do you realise how bloody scared we were when Tonraq and Naga came to Air Temple Island, believing you would be with them, and you _weren't there?!_ Tonraq believed you were in the city, and imagine his horror when he realised that you were gone! And all you have to say is 'I had issues. That is all'?! You should've sent a letter, or _something!_ How heartless can you get?!"

There was a pregnant pause, until Korra replied "I know. I am heartless." She turned her head slightly, not showing her face at all, "You now know where I am. Your search is over. Now please ... leave me be."

That was the worst thing she could have possibly said.  
"WHAT?!" Asami screeched, her businesswoman composure all but shattered. She charged at Korra and spun her around, slamming her back-first into the windowpane, Korra accidentally letting loose a small gargle of pain, but that went unnoticed by Asami is her ire. "YOU HAVE THE _GALL_ TO TELL ME TO LEAVE AFTER YOU FUCKED OFF FOR _THREE YEARS?!_ YES, YOU WERE HEALING FOR MOST OF THAT, BUT WE FUCKING _MISSED_ YOU, _DAILY!_ GIVE ME _ONE_ GOOD _FUCKING_ REASON TO _NOT_ BELT UP YOUR BLOODY ARSE FOR THAT! _COME ON!_ _GIVE ME ONE!_ "

Asami slammed her twice more against the wall in the last two sentences of her lecture, unaware that Korra was losing conciousness. Korra coughed up violently, Asami's enraged eyes fading to confusion, then horror when blood spewed up from Korra's mouth, the young Avatar weakly cupping her mouth with her still heavily bleeding arm. Her arm feebly flopped to her side as she swayed, gasping "I … c-can't ..." before her eyes rolled up inside her head and collapsed into Asami's panicked arms.

The young entrepreneur quickly carried her to the filthy bed, kicking off the blanket and medical kit onto the floor before gently laying the unconscious woman upon the mattress, fixing her head so she wouldn't choke on the blood or on her tongue. She then burst from the room, kicking down the locked door, screaming "MEDIC!" as she ran to the foyer of the apartment. After explaining the situation, Mr. Hatsu sent for the village doctor immediately, with Asami rushing back to provide first aid.

She could do nothing about the broken ribs, but she tied a tight bandage around Korra's bleeding arm, though the bleeding only slowed down fractionally, and held onto her hand, pleading for forgiveness and a miracle.

The village doctor was a waterbending healer, and managed to alleviate most of the damage to the ribs, but Korra needed to heal the rest on her own. The waterbender bandaged her torso up to keep her fixed in in a position to heal properly, and then healed her arm, no problem. She left with Asami paying her upfront, and the engineer stayed by Korra's side, for the rest of the night.

The following evening saw Korra awake in her room, alone, and immediately remembering the events of the previous night, racking her with intense guilt and sorrow. She spotted a plate of food nearby, and began to eat it sombrely yet liberally, until her hunger was sated. She quenched her thirst with the water that came with it, before standing up to gaze out of her window, her arm tenderly cradling her ribs. It was earlier than the previous night, so she was out for almost a whole day. She sighed, wondering on what to do now, when the door shut quietly, the sound of heeled shoes identifying the guest immediately.

"You've been out for nearly a whole day," Asami informed her quietly, guilt and despair woven deeply with her words, "The doctor healed you as best as she could with her waterbending, but the rest is up to you."

"Just like old times," Korra said bitterly, knowing what was flooding inside of Asami's mind, "You didn't know about my ribs, Asami, so you can stop feeling guilty now."

"I could _see_ that you were injured, Korra," she retorted, "I shouldn't have done it in the first place."

Shrugging, Korra replied "I deserved it anyway. I should've been more gentle with my words, and should've stopped acting like a coward."

"Acting like a coward?" Asami asked, confused, "It was acting more like a jerk instead of a coward."

Sighing again, Korra told her "I was jack-shit terrified, Asami. I had so much I wanted to say, so many things I didn't deserve to say. I feared talking to you, talking about me, and for hearing what had happened when you all found out that I legged it all around the world with no sense of direction."

Korra flinched when soft and deceptively strong yet gentle hands grasped her own from behind, intertwining their fingers together as Asami rested her forehead to the back of Korra's head, the gesture intimate and tender. The engineer asked, with a slight plea "Then can you please tell me what you wanted to say to me? I want to be here for you."

The young Avatar closed her eyes and sighed for the third time, before nodding a bit and breathing "Alright."

She let go of Asami and sat on the edge of her bed, gesturing for Asami to do the same. As the young woman sat down beside her, Korra began to talk.

"I did leave to go to Republic City," she began, "I believed that I needed to be around you guys to feel whole again. But as I approached the harbour, I saw _her_."

Asami frowned at that, tempted to ask 'Who?' but she figured that Korra would explain who she saw.

"It was a vision, or more correctly, a hallucination," Korra explained, "she follows me everywhere, no matter where I go. She was standing above me on the tip of one of the tallest rocks in the bay, staring at me. She was there when I was walking in the volcanic lands of the Fire Nation, she was the one who lead me to the underground earthbending rings, where I lose more than win, where I get injured so often. She's within my dreams, unending and relentless, but no matter where I go, she attacks me, I fight back, and then after a short while, she vanishes … she is my past self."

Eyes shocked and mouth agape, Asami clarified "You're being haunted by _yourself?_ Why?!"

"I would be really grateful if I was told, and I wouldn't be here if I knew," Korra responded bluntly, "She's me from my battle with Zaheer. She's in the Avatar State, with chains and shackles on her wrists, glaring down at me wherever I go. In my dreams, she is me: I am beaten multiple times throughout the battle, but the worst parts are the parts that I've never told anyone ... one of them being that the poison was bent _into_ me, through my _skin_."

Asami choked in horror, sadness and fright clouding her vision, but Korra continued "My enemies turned into my past foes through the poison's effects: Zaheer into Amon, Ghazan into Unalaq, and Ming-Hua into Vaatu. They were all taunting me, saying that the Avatar era is over, that I will be the last Avatar, and then they kept chanting 'Let go. Let go. Let go. Let go.' And finally, when Zaheer nearly succeeded in killing me. When Jinora recounted to me how I was saved by her and the airbenders, she said that all they saw was me being restrained with air, supposedly unconscious. In reality, he was removing the air from my lungs. He was choking me."

Her eyes grew haunted, her arms hugging herself as she whispers "That hallucination of me is why I keep losing in the ring. I am fighting her instead of the opponent, and I keep losing because of that, but no one else can see her. That's why I can't return to the city: she's not leaving me alone."

Asami couldn't help herself any more and launched herself at Korra, being gentler on her ribs as she embraced her frightened friend firmly and lovingly. Korra wrapped her arms around her in return desperately, longing for the love she was robbed of for three years, wailing into her friend's shoulder. Asami's arms ran up and down Korra's body, rubbing her back and petting her hair to sooth her heart-wrenching cries. The engineer had tears of her own cascading down her cheeks, the droplets falling silently without a single sob, for it was not her that needed comfort that night, it was the lonely, frightened, wounded and scarred young woman within her arms.

As Korra's sniffles started to die down, feeling exhausted from her tears and starting to drift asleep, she whispered pleadingly "Will you help me out here? I need to find answers, answers that I can feel are out here."

Asami nodded, laying Korra down upon her bed tenderly and murmuring into her ear "As if I'm letting you out of my sight. I am going to be there for you, at your side."

Korra softly pulled Asami down beside her onto the bed and breathed "Thank you."

Asami covered them with the blankets on the bed, falling asleep with the young woman, in what was the best sleep they've had in three years.

 **If this takes off and if you guys desire it, I can write a couple of chapters extra to retell Korra's adventure in the Swamp, and any other parts of Book 4 and beyond that. If not, I will list it as "Complete" in a month or so as a oneshot.**

 **Have a good one!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Found – Chapter 2**

 **A/N:** **Due to the positive response I have received already, I will continue writing chapters, at least until when Korra returns to Republic City. If by then people still want more, I will write to the finale as well as an epilogue. Please let me know what you'd prefer. Once again, thank you joehnna for giving me permission to use your work, and please check out joehnna's profile on DeviantArt.**

Korra awoke with the dawn, the window catching the soft pink skies of the east that cast a lovely blanket upon the morning. No harsh light had breached the horizon as of yet, and still the young Avatar felt no desire to sleep in as she once desired as a younger girl. Instead, she chose to gaze at the skies for a few moments, before indulging in the view of the sleeping beauty that comforted her the night before.

Her pale skin glowed dimly with the soft colours of the morn, her long dark curls framing her angular features perfectly, a few stray locks falling from the constraints of her hair-tie. Elegant eyelashes gently kissed her soft cheeks, shielding the tea green gaze that slumbered beneath her eyelids. Her make-up was removed at some point in the night, leaving her face bare. Her lips, usually dyed a bold red, were instead a perfect peach pink, looking as soft and sweet as the fruit itself.

Korra knew that she held a deep affection for the lovely flower that slumbered beside her, since before Zaheer had overturned and destroyed her life. Her kindness, honesty and compassion touched her heart greatly, and her resourcefulness, grace, intelligence and prowess impressed her immensely. The distance between them made Korra miss her more and more as time slowly dragged on, amplifying her feelings sky-high, causing her to realise how much she truly loved the strong beauty. And yet, she dared not pursue her heart, wishing not to break it or weigh her down with her troubles and her suffering. It was one of the the biggest reasons for leaving for the South Pole in the first place: she worried about Asami having to suffer her, a sentiment she still believed in, given how she treated Katara when she had outbursts of frustration and agonising sorrow.

She softly brushed her fingertips down Asami's cheek and jaw, revelling in the rare and never before seen sight of Asami's untainted face, natural and naked before her. She still to this day wondered why Asami wore make-up, and it has now increased after seeing how gorgeous she truly is. Alas, that was a discussion for another time: she needed to wander the town to clear her head, and perhaps grab some groceries for today's meals. Learning from her past mistakes, she wrote a brief note and placed it in Asami's outstretched, half curled hand, before quietly leaving the room.

She bought two street meals for breakfast, not feeling up to cooking this morning, along with ingredients for lunch and dinner, and a fire lily and some sweet pastries on a whim, knowing how much Asami adored them. Korra then bought more medical supplies to replace the ones she used two nights prior, before heading on her way back to her apartment, allowing her mind to wander into the storm of her thoughts.

 _"I am so grateful to Asami for searching for me,"_ she thought, _"and yet, I hate that she had gotten dragged into my disasters once again. She had been treated with jealousy and rudeness by me, had her boyfriend stolen by me, her father arrested because of me, and yet she stays by my side. I have never forgotten her tender touches and words of care and concern, her eyes reading my thoughts and feelings through my own. Watching over me, fighting for and beside me, cradling me and caring for me, which put her behind in her work at Future Industries, how does she do it? Above all, why does she do it? I need to ask her soon, not yet, but soon."_

The apartment was in sight, and Korra strode inside with purpose; through the foyer and into her room, although keeping quiet in case Asami was asleep. However, the young engineer was awake, looking up from the note between her fingers to meet Korra's stare. She looked even more radiant in her slightly groggy state, her eyelids drooping lazily over her lightly glazed gaze, and her lips curled upwards in a tiny, yet genuine smile of content and relief.

Korra hoped that her face wasn't too red, as she could feel her face flush from the heavenly sight before her.

"Uuuh, I have breakfast!" Korra announced, slightly too extravagantly, causing her to kick herself mentally before calming herself down with the clearing of her throat, "Um, I've just grabbed some chicken-hog stir-fried noodles from a street stand. They are quite delicious, if I do say so myself."

Asami smiled slightly more, making Korra's heart break with love, saying "Thank you, Korra: I am quite starved."

Kicking her feet slightly as she placed her groceries on her small kitchen counter, she approached Asami with her meal and chopsticks in one hand, holding out the fire lily with a small, shy smile "Here: I thought that you may like one."

Asami smiled a wide, toothy grin as she took the meal and flower, looking reverently down upon the fire. Korra shuffled slightly, her heart nearly going into an arrest, especially as Asami looked into her eyes and told her "You are so sweet, Korra. Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome," she replied softly, busying herself with fetching her own meal and utensils. She was starting to sit down on the floor cross-legged, when Asami's voice filtered into her ears.

"You don't need to sit on the floor you know," she informed her gently, "Come, sit with me."

Korra gulped slightly and did as instructed, sitting like before on the bed, preparing to indulge in the greasy, tasty street food within her grasp. The aroma of the tasty noodles and meat wafted strongly into their nostrils, leaving both to eat quickly without another word or thought.

After consuming their unhealthy, but oh so tasty and filling breakfast, Korra threw out the containers and used chopsticks into the rubbish bin, stretching before wincing as her ribs protested harshly. Asami went to stand up to help her, but Korra merely held up a hand and told her "Sit back down: it's only in minimal pain, and I was the one who forgot that she was injured. I will live."

Asami slowly retracted into her seated position on the bed, watching her friend intently as she moved to sit down beside her, gingerly. She took this time to stare at Korra as she shifted into a meditative pose, after telling her that she does this to mentally prepare for the day (which made her cringe in sorrow, knowing how she is mentally tortured daily). Her soft brown skin shone in the sun's enveloping gaze, making her lightly bruised face seem gentle and serene as opposed to when she first saw her that darkened night. The young Avatar's hair was cut short in a stylish, if not slightly shaggy bob cut, making her look more mature as opposed to her youthful yet endearing wolf-tails. She'd lost some weight, she noticed sombrely, not in terms of losing fat, but in terms of muscle mass, making her more lean, yet still looking slightly fragile without the muscular frame the young Avatar once relished in. Asami wished even more so than ever to have remained by Korra's side all of those years ago.

However, even so, Korra still looked gorgeous within her eyes, injuries and all. She'd always admired Korra's resolve, her dedication to her duty as a worldly arbiter and her fierce and strong spirit. When that fire and drive was stripped away from her, Asami's heart broke alongside hers, begging to the spirits to return all that was stolen from the lively and compassionate young woman. As time passed, seasons coming and going agonisingly slowly, Asami never stopped yearning for the Avatar to return to her, happy, safe and well, with that radiant smile beaming like the summer sun at her. She was a fool to have believed that Korra would be the same after she had recovered, but she will do everything within her damned being to see that smile once more. Even if Korra seldom was happy for the rest of her life, she resolved to have her smile in that genuine manner once again, for her to have at least once memory of ultimate happiness within her life.

Asami knew that she had fallen for the young Avatar all those years ago, whilst escaping the desert and staying by her side as she meditated to find her assailant, and staying at her side at every given moment before the final confrontation. She remembered clasping her hands to her heart as she prayed to the spirits for Suyin to save her when the young Avatar was dying of poison, fear gripping her heart unyieldingly until Korra coughed and smiled at her father. Asami longed to talked to Korra about her growing feelings for her, but knew that with Korra's current state, it would've been unfair and mistimed. So, the CEO waited, sending hundreds of letters, clutching the only one she received to her heart, and sending her thoughts out to Korra as she gazed up into the night sky from the balcony of her bedroom at the estate. Maybe one day, she will talk to Korra about how she feels, but it shall not be this day, nor several days to come. Her beloved friend needed her help, and she will serve her loyally, and will not falter, nor fail her, come what may.

Korra then opened her eyes, flushing slightly as she noticed Asami's intense, yet loving gaze.

"Uuum, is there something on my face?" she asked, feeling a bit bashful.

Asami removed herself from her thoughts and replied "No, you just looked very peaceful. Are you prepared for the day?"

Korra nodded and informed her "I feel at peace for now. Still, with me temporarily out of commission, and with no fight to go to, I don't see us doing anything today. I don't like not doing anything."

Asami's lips curled into a smile and jabbed "That sounds familiar."

Korra, being the now wisened young and inspirational woman she is, stuck her tongue out in retaliation, knowing that she couldn't save face against the intelligent woman even if she tried. Asami giggled with mirth, Korra matching her for a bit before she thought of something to do.

"I have an idea on what to do today," she stated.

"Yeah?" Asami responded quizzically.

"Back in the South Pole, I would do this with my mother and father if we had a lazy night," she began, "Pretty much, one person says one sentence, then the next person builds on from that sentence and as you go back and forth with your sentences, you create a story. I once did this for two hours straight with my parents, and we created a story about a prince who meets a wild girl, who lives mainly on her own, except for when her parents return from their long travels. She grew up not liking the premise of wearing clothes: she had them, but neither of her parents liked wearing them either, so they did everything starkers unless they had to go into a town. The prince learns how to live in the forest, adopting her disliking of clothes, and grew to love the girl, and that's where we ended it because I fell asleep."

Asami chuckled at the little story, claiming "That's so adorable!"

Korra blushed and rubbed the back of her neck, rambling "Yeah, mind you, I was a little kid at the time, and I tried to get mum and dad to not make me wear clothes, as it was restrictive and I hated them as a child. Needless to say, it didn't work."

Asami kept laughing until she agreed enthusiastically "Let's do it! I want to see what we can create with this!"

Korra grinned and laid down on the bed, Asami doing the same, but in the opposite direction to Korra, so her head was by Korra's feet and vice versa. Korra exclaimed "I'll go first!" before thinking hard about a sentence to begin with.

"Okay," she announced, "I have one: 'Deep in the swamps of the Earth Kingdom, lived a smelly old swampbender named Murky.'"

Asami sniggered again and thought before adding "'Murky believed himself to be the best swampbender the swamp has ever seen, but, he was actually a hopeless swampbender.'"

Grinning cheekily, Korra responded "'Murky came across a grumpy, smelly and old swampbender called Grimy, and challenged him to a fight.'"

"'Alas, Grimy was the best swampbender the swamp had ever seen, and kicked Murky's butt into the mud, with Murky throwing a childish hissy fit in retaliation,'" Asami built on.

By the time Korra and Asami had finished the story, Murky had tried to overtake the swampbender tribe with the help of a stinky pollution spirit called Slop, causing mass panic before Grimy took him out single handedly and cursing him to an eternity of baths and soap. They also made a few more stories, one of a non-bender who created a way to reach into the universe and land on the moon, another of a firebending circus act that struggled to make ends meet before revitalising the culture of a nomadic fire nation group that abhorred dance and art. Another was of a dramatic water tribe couple who couldn't waterbend that died at sea due to drowning in a sinking ship, and one was of an air nomad who ate meat by accident and spent twenty years without speaking whilst helping animals on a farm to repent for his crime. When they finished their last story, which was of an earthbender that was afraid of earthquakes, the two women stopped, exhausted from story telling yet not exhausted enough for laughing themselves silly over the prospect of an earthbender being afraid of an earthquake.

After recovering, both of their ribs sore from the laughter (Korra more so than Asami), they noticed that the evening was close, with the sun's rays about to disappear, much to their surprise.

"Whoa! I've forgotten how much time can fly when making up even one story, let alone six of them," Korra mused in shock.

"Welp," Asami shrugged, "we may as well fix ourselves something to eat. I don't know about you, but telling stories all day is exhausting, and it making me ravenous and thirsty."

"Agreed," Korra nodded.

The two young women cooked themselves up a simple meal of fried koala-sheep with vegetables and rice and ate in silence, washing down their meals with a healthy serving of water and sweet pastries. They then spent the rest of the evening in silence, Korra meditating and Asami reading a book of hers called _'Solitude and Sensations'_ , a book that Asami briefly explained to Korra, seemingly rushed and embarrassed, that it was about a woman in isolation who found her love by chance. Korra didn't believe for a second that it was _only_ about that, but she will continue ribbing her about it at a later date.

When Asami finished reading for the night, she saw Korra sprawled on the bed, snoring softly as she slumbered. Not wanting to wake her, and knowing that she needed to rest to heal properly, Asami resigned herself to the floor, the threadbare rug surprisingly comfy and clean.

However, it seemed that rest was not to be bestowed upon the young Avatar that night.

 **The one-line-each story game was something that I did once with my best friend when we were younger, and that plot that Korra recounted was the plot we created together. We wasted two hours of night time making that story. However, I apologise for the cliffhanger, but I want something extra within the next chapter. Nonetheless, thank you for the positive reviews thus far, and don't forget to check out joehnna's profile and gallery on DeviantArt.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Found – Chapter 3**

 **A/N:** **I am incredibly and happily surprised that people have been liking this story so far, and I promise you that more plot will occur in this chapter and the following ones, just with more non-canon goodness thrown in. There will be darker themes that delve into the realms of mental illness, so a trigger warning is in order from here on out. Once again, a huge thanks to joehnna for allowing me to use their comic Found as a baseline for this story, so please check them out on DeviantArt and review their work, and I own none of the Legend of Korra.**

 _Shackles clinking, breath laboured, eyes weary, Korra slowly awakens into a nightmare. She is restrained in platinum chains, inescapable and unbreakable, and her assailants are before her, ready to carry out their diabolical plans. She is to be killed in the Avatar State, according to Zaheer, and she can do nothing but pathetically fight against her bonds, unable to steer clear of the poison that attaches itself to her limbs, and seeps painfully and forcefully within her body._

 _Agony._

 _Fear._

 _'I am going to die!' she screams within her mind. Her vision blurs as her enemies turn into her past conflicts._

 _"I told you Korra," Zaheer's face crumbling into the mask of Amon, "The world doesn't need you any more."_

 _She looks to the left, Ghazan's head turning around like a top, turning into a smiling Unalaq "The time of the Avatar is over, Korra. Give up."_

 _Her eyes drifted right, Ming-Hua's head dropping with her hair growing until it formed itself as Vaatu, flying before her face. "You're too weak to resist," he gloated, "and I am stronger than ever. There's no use fighting. Let go."_

 _"Let go. Let go. Let go."_

 _Her mind snaps, her vision white, Zaheer is her only target. She breaks free and fights him outside. He is weakened mind flight: 'Finish him!'_

 _Too late._

 _'You're too weak.'_

 _She falls, he attacks, she hits the cliff faces and slams feet first on a pillar, defeated._

 _"The poison has done its work," Zaheer tells her, "the Avatar Cycle will be over momentarily."_

 _Air hoists her upright on her knees, a sphere of air circling her head, extracting her very breath from her lungs._

 _'Can't breathe ...'_

 _'Can't breathe ...'_

 _'Can't breathe!'_

 _'I CAN'T BREATHE!'_

Screams rip from Korra's mouth, the sound throaty and in desperate need of air she doesn't actually need. She claws at her throat, widened, crying eyes thousands of yards away, terror constricting her breath into choked gasps. One hand still clutched at her neck as the other embraced her stomach, rolling onto her side as she hugged herself, crying softly, yet loudly in the silent of the night.

A tender whisper reached her ears "Korra," and she turned over slightly to see pained tea green eyes gazing down into her own blue eyes with concern, compassion and empathy. Asami gingerly brushed her hand on Korra's back in a small effort to comfort her in her pain, non-verbally asking her to let her help her.

The scared young woman pleaded breathlessly "Help me, _please_."

Asami nodded, crawling into bed with her, cradling her within her arms as Korra clung onto her, sobbing woefully into the CEO's shoulder, letting out years of bottled up anguish, fear and grief. She tried to stifle some of her tears, but they pushed themselves through her personal barriers, making her next string of words rife with weeping.

"I-I was s-so, sca-a-ared," she wailed, "I-I was d-dying, a-and I felt s-so l-lost. I c-can't be n-normal again, I-I don't kn-know who I _a-am_ any mo-o-ore! I-I JUST W-WANT MY LIFE BACK! WH-WHY MUST I BE H-HAUNTED?! WHY-Y-Y?!"

Asami grit her teeth to force her voice into being composed, despite the rivers streaming from her eyes. "I cannot answer that, Korra," she said, "however, I will be there for you, I will never leave you, and you will _never_ be alone, for as long as I live. We will find the answers, together, I promise." Clutching her closer, Asami murmured "Let it out. Let it all out."

Korra didn't stop crying until she exhausted herself to sleep once more, Asami staying awake without relinquishing her embrace even once. Asami unconsciously inhaled the scent of Korra's hair, smelling mint and pine as she promised under her breath "I will _never_ leave you again, Korra. _Never_ , again."

The following morning came and the two young women awoke to a late noon, both of them silent as they contemplated what was said between them the previous night. Asami was the first to say something, peering down over Korra as she asked of her "I do not care where I am, or how far apart we are, will you please call for me when these attacks happen again? I do not care if it's in the middle of the night, or if we are half a world away, I will comfort you, and help you, in whichever way I can."

Korra nodded with a sad smile, saying "I promise it."

Asami nodded back, smiling tenderly at her, before getting up and preparing lunch. Korra in the meantime judged her injuries and informed her friend "My ribs are much better today. If possible, I would like to leave early tomorrow morning. I've spent too long in this town, and I feel like I should: it's … hard to explain."

The CEO looked at her from the sandwiches she was making and told her "You don't have to explain it, Korra, your gut instinct is something to be trusted. It's helped us out many times before. Lets leave at about dawn then, before it gets too busy."

"Alright," Korra agreed readily, accepting the sandwiches prepared for her gratefully. The two ate uninterrupted and leisurely until Korra asked curiously "Hey Asami, how did you find me exactly?"

Asami swallowed her mouthful before answering slowly "It wasn't easy by any means. I had to hire a rare kind of tracker: a shirshu rider. They lead me here after a two week trek, almost losing your sent halfway through."

Korra frowned in interest "How did the shirshu track my scent?"

Asami seemed to turn slightly red in the face as she replied steadily "I still have your dress from Jinora's Ceremony: I brought it to the shirshu to smell."

"Aaaah," Korra voiced understandingly, unaware of Asami's flustered face, "that'll explain it. Really clever of you to use a shirshu though: I would've never thought of one in your shoes."

Asami shrugged, her face turning back to normal "I'm surprised that you didn't: Aang was hunted by one in his youth, and I have found that Avatars often have similar events happening in their respective timelines."

"Not really."

"Okay," Asami began, "Aang faced bloodbending from Yakone, a bender who had the ability to bloodbend without a full moon. You versed both of his sons who used the same abilities as him. You both were trained by Katara, you both left the Southern Water Tribe to start your Avatar journeys, and you both had an awkward photo taken by that shop owner on the coast."

"Wait, how do you _know_ of that?"

"Met him as the shirshu tracked your scent: one of the first major breakthroughs we had of finding you."

"Uh-huh."

"Yep: you looked so awkward."

"Shut up, Asami."

"Never," she finished with a grin. She then stood up and stretched, saying "We should go out and grab supplies for our journey. You ready to stretch your legs?"

Korra nodded and stood up, replying "Lets do it."

The two young women left the small room and walked amongst the market stalls, buying food rations, water canteens and extra clothing for different environments. They then briefly window-shopped around the town, seeing jewellery, weaponry, appliances and equipment for sale wherever they went. The last couple of hours before sundown saw them packing up their new gear, eating dinner and then going into a public bathhouse to relax.

The idea sounded great at the time, but Korra couldn't fully relax when she was sharing a bath, alone, with her gorgeous best friend, who was as equally naked as her. She did her best not to look underneath the water when she looked at Asami as she spoke, but her eyes occasionally slipped downwards before straightening themselves upwards before she saw anything. At the very least, the water soothed away the last of Korra's chest pains, so at least one positive came out of the torturous experience.

The two headed to bed early that night after paying Mr. Hatsu for the last time, awakening to the dark morning and already seeing people getting ready for the day before the sun was even up. The two shouldered their backpacks and soldiered out, too tired to say anything as they absent-mindedly walked the slightly run-down streets of the town, eating a steamed bun each for breakfast.

They were so far gone up in the clouds that neither of the girls noticed that a satomobile was heading their way until they heard the beeping horn of the driver. They both sprung into action, combat rolling off of the road, albeit rather awkwardly, and causing the car to quickly spin out, fortunately not crashing. Asami quickly shook it off, about to turn to the driver to apologise profusely, when her heart froze as her gaze landed on Korra.

She was holding herself up on the corner of an alleyway, the other hand grasping her head before she looked up, into the darkness of the alley. She frowned ferociously, but with a tinge of fear filtering across her eyes. "You again?" she spat, facing no one.  
"Korra?" Asami said gently, yet worriedly, "There is no one there."

Korra didn't seem to hear her and suddenly punched a harsh stream of fire, before suddenly tripping and calling out in terror, her left arm over her head as if she was attempting to ward off an assailant. Asami could do nothing but stare at her, unknowing of the attention the young Avatar was drawing to herself, the downed woman crying out "LEAVE ME _ALONE!_ " whilst firebending a larger stream of fire from her other fist.

Korra started breathing heavily again, seemingly snapped out of her episode as she heard the spectators talking.

"What's wrong with her?" a young man commented

"Young lady, are you alright?" an elderly woman asked, "Can I take you to a doctor?"

Korra scrambled to her feet and forced out quickly "No, I don't need any help" before stalking away before Asami could say anything. The CEO managed to overcome her shock and heartbreak, going after her after reassuring the locals that she'll help the young Avatar.

Asami jogged to Korra's side, beginning to ask her what happened when Korra snapped, the softening "Don't ask me about it ... not yet."

Asami lagged behind Korra for a little bit, keeping a concerned eye on her friend. _'That must've been the vision of herself that she's been seeing'_ Asami thought to herself sadly, _'She said that she'd fight her past self and it would disappear, but it's so unnerving to watch where you can't see what she's seeing, and being unable to help. In the end, in this case, I don't know how to help her.'_

They continued in silence once more, neither one bringing up the elephant-koi in the room. After a good ten minutes or so, Korra turned around unexpectedly, looking on guard. Asami backed up slightly, unknowing of what Korra was seeing, or who. Korra then relaxed a bit before turning back around, stopping when she saw a cute little puppy sitting in front of her, yipping twice.

Korra and Asami smiled at the little being, Korra kneeling down to pet it as she asked him "Where did you come from, little cutie?"

She then looked up and her face went from happy to crestfallen, Asami's blood freezing again as she recognised that Korra was having another haunting. As she reached out to clutch Korra's arm in an effort to comfort her and break her out of her daze, she became surprised as the little puppy turned around and growled angrily in the direction of Korra's gaze.

"You can see her too?" she breathed to the little dog. She then frowned as the dog didn't let up, standing as she deduced "If you can see her too, maybe I'm _not_ going crazy."

The puppy growled louder before barking as ferociously as his little body could provide, before whining and scampering up the steps before them, Korra asking in shocked tone "How'd you _do_ that?!" Asami stood too and stared at the puppy as it turned around at them and barked twice.

Korra cocked her head to the side and asked "You want me to follow you?"

The puppy barked twice again before running off, the two young women looking at each other before Korra shrugged and said "Alright, let's see what we find."

The two young women ran off after the dog as the morning began to rise slowly to the horizon, lighting the world in a pale blue-grey. They followed the dog for ages, until the sun was well and truly up in the sky and standing on a hilltop that overlooked a town, and the renowned Foggy Swamp. Korra asked aloud in confusion "Why did you bring us to the swamp?" before continuing down the hill, catching up to the dog, as they breached the first of the trees, the dog turning into a little pudgy yellow spirit.

"Wait!" Korra remarked, "I met you at the Tree of Time." She frowned as she told him "You should've told me who you were."

The spirit turned around and asked her in a cute little voice "If I did, would you have followed me?"

"I get your point," Korra relented immediately, "Why did you bring me here? What am I going to find in the swamp."

"Not a what," the spirit corrected as he flew away, "a who."

"No, wait!" Korra cried out, running deeper into the swamp with Asami hot on her tail, "Come back!"

Korra shoved some vines out of the way before tripping into a small pool of water, standing right before her haunter, the haunter Asami can now see. Eyes widening, Korra stood up and back-pedalled, assuring herself "You're just in my mind. You're not real."

"Korra," Asami said slowly, "I can see her too."

"What?!" she gasped, looking at her. The past Avatar sent a powerful fire attack at them, blowing them back first into a tree with cries of pain. They gingerly got up, seeing the past Avatar stumbling towards them. Korra sent two strikes of water at her past self, the doppelganger dodging at inhuman speeds that cause her to become a blur. She attacked back with fire, water and earth, Korra and Asami back-flipping away, Korra copping a face-full of rock that sent her flying down into a ditch, the past Avatar chasing her down with a fiery axe-kick, which Korra dodged, but was blasted in the back with a water hosing move.

Asami rushed to Korra's aide, using her glove to try and strike the past Avatar, but missing several times with each of the past Avatar's inhuman speed. Try as she might, she was chain-whipped harshly into a tree, leaving her winded and dizzy as Korra fell back to gain a distance advantage. Korra dodged a fire blast, sending back a clump of earth and a ball of fire, before airbending into a tree, aiming to go higher. However, the past Avatar extended her chain and whipped the ground, before hooking it around Korra's ankle, causing Korra to hang for dear life on a vine.

Asami and Korra watched in fear as the metallic poison pooled from the past Avatar's feet, submerging her to her ankles, before she started to sink slowly _into_ the poison itself without resistance. "KORRA! GET FREE FROM HER!" Asami cried as she tried to stand, the dizziness making her too uncoordinated to help her.

However, it was too late.

The vines Korra was hanging on to snapped and she fell with a scream, landing back first into the poison pool. She tried to get free, struggling violently, but the poison grabbed her and pulled her under, but not before calling out "HELP!" before both Avatars disappeared into the silvery depths.

"KORRA!" Asami screeched, collapsing forward as she started to fall unconscious, reaching out for her beaten friend as her vision went black.

Unbeknownst to her, an elderly woman soon came upon the site of the two unconscious women, sighing as she had to deal with two intruders of her peace and quiet. However, she used two earthbent slabs to carry them to her earthy hovel, before spending her day as she usually would, lying around all day before beginning to cook dinner.

Asami awoke first and clutched her head with a groan, starting when a voice asked "Are you now back in the realm of the living?"

The young CEO answered hesitantly "Er, yes. I apologise, but how did I, wait," she turned and found Korra beside her, sighing in relief before continuing, "how did we get here?"

"I earthbent you and your girlfriend here," the old crone replied simply.

Asami's heart raced in a fluster and corrected "Oh, no! We, erm, we aren't dating."

The older woman scoffed and told her bluntly "Well, get together. I felt your heartbeats earlier: you two love each other. So, get together."

Asami flushed deeply and responded quickly "It doesn't quite work that way."

"Yes it does. Stop wasting your time. You two are meant to be, so get together," she unapologetically told her. Asami was about to reply when a hiss of pain came from her right, causing her head to whip around, her brain protesting fiercely, and seeing her best friend wake up.

Korra grabbed her head and moaned, looking right at the young CEO and murmuring "Asami?"

The young woman smiled in response before the crone croaked "Feeling better?"

Korra asked her as she faced the old woman's back "Where are we? What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," the elderly woman replied, "I found you two passed out in the mud."

"How did you know we were out there?" she questioned in reply.

"I'm pretty tapped into the goings on around here," the woman answered, a hint of warmth in her voice, "What brings you two to the swamp anyway?"

Korra took a beat before responding "A spirit lead us here and told us that we were supposed to find someone. Is that you?"

"Beats me," the crone stated, "but if your Avatar senses called you here, you should probably listen to them."

Korra and Asami looked at each other before facing the old woman, both of them standing as Korra asked "Wait, you recognise me?"

"In a manner of speaking," the old woman replied as Korra and Asami approached, "We were good friends in your previous life."

Korra lit a flame within her face and held it old to look more clearly at the old woman, the crone turning around with her glazed moon-coloured eyes staring at them.

The two young women were shocked to the core.

"I can't believe it," Korra whispered, "Toph?!"

The old earthbender chuckled slightly and greeted, "Nice to see you again, Twinkle Toes."

 **Does anyone else remember the shirshu? I was actually trying to figure out a way for Asami to feasibly track her down, and I immediately remembered June's shirshu from Avatar The Last Airbender. I wanted to crunch out meeting Toph at the end of this chapter, as it was a fitting end to the episode of Korra Alone and I wanted to keep that intact.**

 **Korra's reaction to her dream is similar to how some people react from dreams or thoughts of death from their sleep, just amplified, as it's a personal traumatic event in terms of her being the one nearly killed and her experiencing that fear. This is speaking from my own personal experience, I haven't nearly been murdered, but I had traumatic dreams that occasionally to this day still cause me to gasp and wake up, thinking that I am about to die in my sleep, because of the sorrow of seeing my mother's corpse and due to the grief of her passing, though it's been nearly a year since then. So, I wanted that realism to come through and be expressed, as such night terrors do happen, and like Katara told Korra, the body believes that you are/still are in danger, and the feelings are what trigger it.**

 **Nonetheless, thank you for reading, and shout out to joehnna for their permission to use their work Found as a foundation for this story, and a shout out to harleyquinn142257, who has requested a story based similarly to this, but this is a one-shot that is focused on Asami going through the angst of seeing Korra belted up in the earthbending arena. That is going to be written and published hopefully tomorrow night, if not, the night after that. The title is going to be called … "Fighting Mad."**

 **Keep an eye out for it and good night!**


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